Monte Vista, Colorado, employs a CPST to assist the 12 drivers on staff in ensuring that students are correctly re- strained and that the equipment is used as intended. Director of Transportation Rebecca

Sykes said the district has had its tech on staff for about three years. She added that the employment cost is minimal, compared to what the cost would be if injuries resulted from incorrect CSRS usage during a crash or other incident. “I’m working with my school district to see if we can make [training] more of a requirement [for all staff],” Sykes explained. “Just in case that one person is not available. So that we don’t ever leave ourselves in a situation where we have people without that knowledge available to help.” In addition to the 32-hour course,

CPSTs must be recertified and ex- amined by a lead technician every two years. That time and financial

commitment could be difficult for transportation departments to uphold. Meanwhile, there are additional

resources that transportation staff can turn to for help with CSRS training, such as police officers, firefighters, hospital systems and health centers. But having a tech on staff allows for more direct interaction and fosters more district communication. CPSTs help alleviate risks, which can

how vital it is that preschool aged chil- dren are all put in child safety restraint systems, naturally, it also becomes incumbent on them to talk to adminis- trators, so they know this is what has to be done,” Shutrump said. She added that CPSTs also help transport younger students with special needs who might be out of preschool— but their small size makes CSRS

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Does your transportation staff include any certified passenger safety technicians?